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ksuazo94's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent
kirstenf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Pregnancy
Minor: Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Abortion, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and Colonisation
nytephoenyx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Pregnancy and Abandonment
Minor: Child death, Cursing, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
libraryghost's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death, Gun violence, and Abortion
britgirlreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Death, Racism, Abortion, and Death of parent
Minor: Toxic relationship
therainbowshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Racism, Sexism, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia, Stalking, and Pregnancy
Slut shaming, shaming a teen mom, threat if taking your child, financial instabilitybrendaxxo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
And like a map I've been following without the exact destination, I know now I've been equipping myself with tools from the journey to help me survive when I arrive. Although I don't have all the answers for what is coming next, I can finally see a glimpse of where I, Emoni Santiago, am going.
no, but seriously. i was expecting a gritty tale about a teen mom's heartbreak and suffering (which i was not in the right headspace for) and instead found a fun, heartwarming gem. everything about this book hit the right note for me. i love that despite all of her obstacles, being a teenage mother is not the end of emoni's life and she actively pursues her dreams. a small but powerful support system keeps emoni and babygirl on the right track: angelica is the best friend a girl could ask for and buela carefully straddles the line between being there for emoni and emma and finding her own happiness. emoni's relationship with an absentee father hit closer to home than i'd like to admit.
but above all, I loved how important food and cooking was to emoni and the characters around her. while cooking is her passion, she still has a lot to learn and works her ass off. her food, a fusion or a "remix" of puerto rican and african-american dishes, is so good that it calls forth memories of people, places, and emotions. you can't help but root for someone so talented and earnest. i literally cried because i was so proud of how far emoni came along in the face of adversity. four stars.
*my only critique is acevedo's use of the "i let go of the breath i didn't know i was holding" line three times, but that doesn't take away from the story overall.
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Minor: Gun violence, Sexual content, and Abortion
teen pregnancymagsapt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
On 'With The Fire On High', it is mostly race, parenthood and feminism, subjects that are also the main focus of 'Clap When You Land' (one of my favourite books of 2021).
Our main character, Emoni, is the daughter of a Puerto Rican man and an African American woman, raised by her boricua grandmother. Since her father is absent and her mother has died during childbirth, Emoni is constantly searching for her roots, which she mainly achieves with cooking, a gift she had since being a toddler.
Acevedo addresses the issues mixed kids have fitting into a world so obsessed with labels, while at the same time declaring that all that should matter is how they view themselves and want to be viewed by others. One person doesn't belong to a single box - one is multiple and must find comfort in thal multiplicity. If there's no box for you, you must create one for yourself instead of forcing yourself to fit into something that doesn't entirely fulfil you.
Cue the expectations society has for women and how we force ourselves to have those too instead of being and doing whatever we want.
When she got pregnant, Emoni wanted to have her baby even though she was just sixteen. She had to deal with her colleagues' stares and snickers while at the same time dealing with her fears towards her future. Acevedo shows us the tip of the iceberg that is being a teenage mom and having to put your dreams on hold to raise your child because women can't still have it all. They must always sacrifice something of themselves for other people. The perfect example is 'Buela, who raised her child, her granddaughter and now her great-granddaughter, leaving her happiness to last.
What mechanisms does society have in place to help these women? What happens to women less enthusiastic than Emoni? Does society let those women's dreams to rot?
And how do men keep on getting away with everything? When will we attribute them responsibility and ask them what is demanded of us? Or better yet, when will they stop asking us to do things none of them would be willing to do?
The only trouble I had with this book was the pace. Sometimes things happened too quickly, other times too slowly. I also found it more predictable than 'Clap When You Land'.
It's still a 4-star read and I can't wait to try the recipes Acevedo shared with us!
Minor: Bullying, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Abortion, and Death of parent